Eleven resorts sealed in Nilgiris district

Eleven resorts constructed on the elephant corridor in Nilgiris district were sealed today in compliance with a Supreme Court directive to crack down on illegal structures in the area.

The process of sealing the resorts, including the one owned by yesteryear Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, began this morning, officials sources said.

Adhering to an Apex Court order, the Nilgiris district administration had identified 39 illegally constructed resorts on elephant corridor, obstructing the free movement of pachyderms, leading to animal-human conflict.

During the first phase, the authorities had sealed 27 resorts.

Of the remaining 12, the officials had served notices to 11 resorts yesterday seeking valid documents or remove the structures.

Verification of documents of the remaining one is on, they said.

The top court had on August 9 observed that elephants were a "national heritage" and expressed displeasure as to how constructions had come up on the elephant corridor of Nilgiris and directed sealing of the illegally built resorts on the elephant corridor.